


Just The Beginning

by Between_A_Dream



Series: The Taglarin Mythic BuffyVerse [11]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Abuse, F/F, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 13:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10387896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Between_A_Dream/pseuds/Between_A_Dream
Summary: An extension of 5x13. Tara starts to seriously worry about Willow's magic addiction, while Willow starts to grow more confident.





	

Buffy's birthday was the most interesting thing coming up in anyone's schedule.

Aside from the usual demon hunting and vampire slaying, things had been pretty dull lately. Of course, there was the threat of Glory, but everyone was trying to keep their minds of that, all for similar, numerous reasons. That was why, as the day when her closest friend turned 20 approached, Willow was beyond excited for a celebration.

Despite Buffy's plea to not throw a party, the ginger witch wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Should we stick with the sword?" the red haired Wiccan asked from her position in bed to her blonde lover across the room, who was currently preoccupied with brushing her hair. She had been nervous enough buying the thing, and after the meeting earlier and finding out about Dawn being the key, Willow figured that Buffy could use more of a pick me up than a reminder that it was her duty to protect the world and everyone she cared about.

"I don't know. I mean, she's probably going to get a lot of Slayer stuff. Crossbows, knives, combat equipment. Do you think we should just stay on that board?" Tara questioned, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail and climbing into bed next to her girlfriend.

"Maybe. I mean, if nothing else, we know she'll appreciate it and find it useful. But on the other hand..." Willow trailed off.

"It's not very special," Tara finished for her and watched as her counterpart nodded in agreement. "What if tomorrow we go shopping? We could look for something that catches our interest? And if we don't find anything else, the sword is always there," the blue eyed witch suggested, scooting down so she was eye to eye with her lover. Willow gave her a small smile and nodded.

"That sounds perfect," she agreed, and wrapped her arms around Tara's waist. For a time, the room fell silent, the only noise being the occasional light footsteps of a mischievous kitten roaming in the dark.

"Willow?" The voice half scared and half woke the ginger haired woman, and she jumped slightly, calming down when her mind was clear enough to identify the source.

"Yeah?" she asked, running her eyes and pulling back so she could look Tara in the eyes.

"I... Do you think that... Glory will, you know... Find Dawn?" she asked quietly, casting her gaze downwards. Willow sighed and pulled the blonde Wiccan closer to her.

"I don't know baby. Not if we have anything to say about it," she tried to be reassuring, but she could tell she wasn't doing a very good job, especially with similar fears whirling away in her own mind.

"D-Do you think she'll use her brain sucking power? On one of us?" Tara's voice was quieter than before and her auburn haired lover could hear the fear in her voice. She leaned down and pressed her lips against Tara's forehead for a few brief moments.

"I'm not going to let her come anywhere near you. I promise," Willow's voice was firm and her words seemed to calm her girlfriend down enough for her body to visibly relax. She ran her fingers through the blonde locks until she heard light breathing from Tara, allowing herself to rest only when she was sure that her lover was fully asleep.

* * *

Tara smiled as Willow knocked on the door to the Summers' house. The pair had spent the day shopping for Buffy, and had managed to find a dress that was themed with the Eifel tower. Both had instantly agreed that it was a much better gift than the sword, and Willow had been quick to return the weapon.

When Buffy opened the door she smiled brightly.

"Hey guys, come on in," she stepped aside and allowed the pair inside.

"Happy birthday!" Willow grinned and threw her arms around the Slayer. Tara offered a toothy grin but she hung back until Buffy pulled her into the hug as well.

"I'm so glad you guys could come," the younger blonde smiled as she closed the door.

"Of course! We wouldn't miss it for the world," Willow promised with a laugh, and she set the gift box she had been carrying down on the table in the kitchen.

"Tara!" Dawn's voice surprised the witch, but she laughed and hugged the younger girl regardless.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Tara hadn't meant to sound more concerned than casual, so she quickly rephrased her sentence. "I mean doing. How are you d-doing?" Luckily for her, if Dawn did notice, she didn't pay much attention.

I'm great, I'm glad you guys could make it. Come on, Anya and Xander are already here," she smiled and took the older woman's hand, leading her into the living room and trying not to notice Tara's slip in words.

* * *

To say that Willow was relieved that Buffy had liked the dress was an understatement. After watching the other presents she was opening and seeing that Tara had been correct- The slayer had indeed received a great deal of fighting equipment- She had been terrified, despite the knowledge in the back of her mind that told her Buffy would love whatever she had given her, so seeing the genuine smile and delight at a change of direction as far as gifts went in Buffy's expression greatly calmed her nerves.

Being around Dawn was still a little uncomfortable, and she knew it was more so for Tara than for herself. The auburn haired witch knew that they connected in a way that none of the other Scoobies nor herself could understand, and finding out that Dawn had simply been placed in their memories simply to hide something from someone evil had greatly impacted the blonde Wiccan. Currently, Willow was busy cutting Buffy's cake, and she smiled as Tara sat down beside her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

She gave the blue eye woman a knowing look, and she simply nodded with a soft sigh. Feeling the obligation to cheer her up, Willow casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder before smearing icing over her face.

"Willow!" Tara squealed at the feeling and ripped away from her, both laughing despite themselves. She wiped the icing from her cheek and giggled, using a napkin to clean her finger. Willow leaned over and licked the stray bit of icing from her cheek, causing her cheeks to burn red with a vibrant blush.

"Hey! What are you two doing in there? You better not mess up my cake with your canoodling!" Buffy's voice pulled the two women apart and Tara giggled as she stood to sit in the chair on the opposite side of the coffee table, if only for the reason that she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep Willow out of trouble if she was in her vicinity.

* * *

When Tara saw Dawn walk into the room, she was about to ask her to join them on the couch. Her words were quickly changed when she saw that the teenager was holding a knife in one hand as blood ran down her arm. Naturally, Buffy had reacted with both fear and anger, while Joyce was terrified and upset.

Willow had managed to keep back her worry until they left, but once they got back to the dorms, she collapsed in Tara's arms.

She was not yet crying, but there were tears in her eyes and she was close to it.

"How could she find out that way?" Tara could hear the horror in her lover's voice, and she pulled them to her bed and wrapped her arms securely around her waist.

"I know, it's horrible. I can't imagine what she must be going through," Tara sighed, stroking Willow's auburn locks.

"Do you think she'll be okay?"

Tara wasn't sure how to answer the question.

On one hand, she wanted nothing more than to comfort Willow and tell her everything would be okay. But she wasn't too sure of that outcome, and she didn't want to give her false hope. She was sure that eventually things would be okay, but for the moment she was left with no definite response.

"I don't know love." She decided on an honest answer. "I don't know."

* * *

Willow was terrified when Buffy told them that Dawn was missing. Of course, she would never voice this fear aloud to the slayer, or really to anyone but Tara.

She knew she had to stay positive to keep Buffy positive, and she was determined to do so. While meeting in the magic shop, she had made sure she kept her voice confident, forcing herself to stay calm. But now, as she and Tara walked through the woods on the edge of town with still no sign of the teenagers whereabouts, she was starting to unravel.

"Maybe... Maybe she went that way?" she asked, gesturing to a patch of trees.

"We already checked that way love," Tara's voice was cool, and it was lost upon the ginger witch how she was managing to stay so grounded. "And that way," she continued, "And that way. She's just not out here."

"I... I just don't... Where would you go?" Willow knew she had to clarify by the look of slight confusion on her girlfriend's face. "If you felt lost and scared and alone. Where would you go?" Tara looked down for a moment before responding.

"To you." The answer was not what Willow was expecting. Okay, so maybe it wasn't surprising, but she still felt a surge of love wash over her as the blonde spoke and she pulled Tara close to her, wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging her tightly.

* * *

The night ended on a positive note, however scary it had started. Willow was relieved to find Dawn unharmed, and was even more relieved and somewhat proud when she and Tara had successfully managed to complete a teleportation spell.

Sure, she had done the harder part, and it had resulted in a violent shake and a bloody nose, but she'd much rather it had been her than the blonde Wiccan. Besides, she was sure Giles didn't know how far she had actually come. She was getting better and practicing more advanced magic daily, and that night she slept comfortably in Tara's arms.

Tara, on the other hand, lay there restlessly for hours on end as her red haired lover slept beside her. Willow's nosebleed, she knew from experience, was just the beginning of addiction.

She knew that Willow was still far from that, but it was easy to fall into the clutches of magic. She sighed as she stared into the sleeping face of the ginger. Tracing her finger delicately over the side of her face, Tara leaned closer and pressed her lips to her forehead for a brief moment before allowing herself to sleep.


End file.
